Saturday, June 23, 2012

At its June 21, 2012 meeting, the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Board of Directors elected the following individuals as Directors: Mary Amato of Silver Spring, Ethan Balis of Silver Spring, and Tebabu Assefa of Takoma Park.

We look forward to their contributions to our work.

We thank Sheryl Brissett-Chapman and Mary Ann Zimmerman for their service on our Board as Directors, and as executive officers of the organization, and we look forward to their continued contributions as members of our Advisory Committee.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Cooking With Gas serves both fine acoustic and electric music featuring generous portions of blues seasoned with jazz, swing, gospel and folk that spans most of the 20th century.

Formed in the Spring of 2011 by a core group of players from the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (AKA The Barbershop), the acoustic version of CWG includes David "Takoma Dave" Rothman on vocals & blues harp, Bob Dreher & Adam Oppenheim on guitars and Jim "Gutbucketeer" Bunch on washtub bass & washboard.

Cooking with Gas performed at the 2011 Silver Spring Blues Festival on the Market Stage. They have performed on Silver Spring's Veterans Plaza as part of the Plaza Performance Series and regularly at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring. We are proud that they will return to the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and will perform at Fire Station 1 as part of the first-ever Silver Spring Blues Week!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

See Cooking with Gas "live" at Fire Station 1, from 9 pm to midnight, Saturday, June 9, 2012. Fire Station 1 is at 8131 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910

Cooking With Gas serves both fine acoustic and electric music featuring generous portions of blues seasoned with jazz, swing, gospel and folk that spans most of the 20th century.

Formed in the Spring of 2011 by a core group of players from the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (AKA The Barbershop), the acoustic version of CWG includes David “Takoma Dave” Rothman on vocals & blues harp, Bob Dreher & Adam Oppenheim on guitars and Jim “Gutbucketeer” Bunch on washtub bass & washboard.

Cooking with Gas performed at the 2011 Silver Spring Blues Festival on the Market Stage. They have performed on Silver Spring’s Veterans Plaza as part of the Plaza Performance Series and regularly at El Golfo Restaurant in Silver Spring. We are proud that they will return to the 4th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and will perform at Fire Station 1 as part of the first-ever Silver Spring Blues Week!

Guests were treated to bluesy cocktails, and delicious food from several of Silver Spring's best restaurants including Lesaac Cafe, Zed's Cafe, Piratz Tavern, Gharab-al Kabob, the Big Greek Cafe, and ZPizza.

Majic 102.3's Cortney Hicks. Born and raised in Motown, Cortney "BabyGirl"
Hicks knew early on in life that her love of music would lead to a career in
the entertainment industry. While attending Michigan State University she took
an internship at a local radio station in 1994. Cortney's natural delivery and
ability to connect with listeners quickly provided an opportunity for her to
join the full-time on air staff. Upon graduation in 1995, she relocated to
Chicago and joined the WEJM staff as the new Midday Host.

After a very successful three year run in Chicago, she was
invited to return home to Detroit and serve as a part of the Morning Show team
on WJLB from 1997-2000. Cortney's love for Chicago took her back in 2001 to
serve as Midday Host and to assist in launching WPWX. Through hard work and
dedication, Cortney was soon promoted to the coveted Morning Show Host position
in 2005 making her the first female in Chicago radio history to headline a
Morning Show.

As the radio industry continued to change, Cortney
identified the need to be in radio management as a means to further her career.
In 2007 she relocated to Mobile, AL and joined the WBLX team as Assistant
Program Director and Midday Host. Recently, Cortney expanded her media career
to include TV as the entertainment reporter for the NBC affiliate in Mobile,
AL.

Throughout the years Cortney has and continues to mentor
many who have gone on to attain major success in the media industry. Known for
her great celebrity interviews, community involvement and youth advocacy
efforts, she is excited about serving as Midday Host on MAJIC 102.3.

WPFW-FM's Ida Campbell. Ida Campbell, born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and raised in Washington,
DC, has been singing all her life. Ida’s Blues Nation Band was formed
in 2008 to bring a distinctive blues and R&B sound like no one
else’s. Ida’s finds her musical inspiration in artists like B.B. King,
Bobby Blue Bland, and ZZ Hill among others. In addition to the blues
guitar masters, she also emulates the spirit and energy of Aretha
Franklin, Etta James, KoKo Taylor, Barbara Carr, Denise LaSalle, Tina
Turner and Betty Wright.

Ida brings a spirited, invigorating,
soul shaking presence and masters the kind of sound of blues that will
affect you to the bone. Blues Nation is comprised of professional
musicians from the District, Maryland and Virginia that have played with
Grammy and Grammy-nominated artists and international acts.

We are pleased to welcome Ida Campbell back to her 4th Silver Spiring Blues Festival. She has been our celebrity host since the beginning of the Festival. In 2010, she performed with her fantastic blues band, "Ida Campbell & the Blues Nation." She also has served as Montgomery Community Media's on-air host for interviews of our Silver Spring Blues Festival performers.

Ted Kelly. Ted Kelly, an internationally recognized digital media pioneer,
brings his unique interview style, commentary and proven ear for new
talent to AND Magazine. Ted Kelly’s over two decades at the forefront of
music and media ranges from major market, national and international
morning radio personality to executive management for some of the
world’s largest media companies in New York, Washington DC and globally.

As Program Director of the world's first and only global pop
music channel, WorldSpace Satellite Radio’s “UPop”, heard in 134
countries around the world and in America on XM, AOL and DirecTV, Ted
Kelly assembled an international air staff with radio stars broadcasting
live 24/7 from studios in Johannesburg, LA, Washington DC, London,
Singapore, India and Dubai.

As Senior Vice President of Global Content Promotions and Events
for WorldSpace Global and US XM Channels, Ted Kelly was personally
responsible for dozens of satellite radio firsts, including the first
global concert broadcasts live from Europe, NYC, South Africa, India and
Singapore, and daily broadcasts to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. His
live backstage coverage of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction
Ceremonies, America's Virgin Mobile Music Festival, the global radio
hosting of The Annual Brit Awards, Mandela's 90th Birthday 46664, The
Concert For Diana, We are The Future in Rome, as well as Live 8 and Live
Earth are all considered broadcasting benchmarks.

The 4th Silver Spring Blues Festival at Downtown
Silver Spring is less than a month away.Here’s an update.

We kick off the Festival and first-ever “Silver Spring Blues
Week” with a fundraising/ticketed event at Pyramid Atlantic. Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Executive Director, Lisa Martin, has arranged an exciting
three-hour program that includes food, drink and live music performed by Jonny
Grave.Tickets are $10 in advance, $15
at the door. Get advance tickets for this event on PayPal

Our first-ever “Silver Spring Blues Week” includes live
blues performances, and food and drink specials throughout downtown Silver
Spring.As of today, the venues include Fire
Station 1, Zev’s Café, McGinty’s, and more. SSTCi has plans to present blues bands on
Veterans Plaza during that week, and we expect to present popular
singer/songwriter Patty Reece & David Chappelle at McGinty’s on Thursday
night.

The Festival takes place on Saturday, June 16, from 10 am to
9 pm on two stages—the Fountain Stage on Ellsworth Drive, and the Market State
on Veterans Plaza at the Fenton Street Market.Like last year, we’ll have acoustic blues music on the Market Stage,
with some incredible performers including Eleanor Ellis, Ruben Dobbs of
Swampcandy, Sheryl Sears, Gina DeSimone, and the Archie Edwards Blues
Ensemble.Our thanks go to the Archie
Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation for producing the Market Stage program.Performances on the Market Stage go from 10
am to 3 pm.

On the Fountain Stage, we’ll have a dizzyingly array of
acoustic & electric blues performances from 2 pm to 9 pm.Starting at 2 pm, we have a solo guitar
performance from NEA honoree Warner Williams, followed by the School of Rock,
Nate Foley & FLLD, the Moonshine Society, Fast Eddie & the Slowpokes,
The Unruly Blues Band, the DC Blues Society Band featuring Ayaba Bey, and, for
the finale, Clarence “The Blues Man” Turner. Our celebrity hosts for the 4th Annual Blues Festival are Ida Campbell of WPFW-FM, returning for her 4th Festival, Majic 102.3 radio personality Cortney Hicks, and Ted Kelly of andmagazine.com.

There will be an after-party at McGinty’s featuring the
popular group “Hard Swimmin’ Fish” starting at 10 pm.

Silver Spring Town Center Inc invites you to our Blues Week Kick-off Party at Pyramid Atlantic Friday, June 8th, 6pm-9pm!

SSTCi IS PAINTING THE TOWN BLUE!

Join us for a festive evening celebrating the Blues as we kick-off
Silver Spring Blues Week at Pyramid Atlantic. Mix and mingle with other
Blues aficionados, sip Bluesy cocktails, savor an array of h'ors
d'ouevres, do some Blues-themed art activities and of course enjoy some
live Blues music featuring Silver Spring's own Johnny Grave!

Your $10 ticket includes a Blues-themed cocktail, h'ors d'ouevres,
hands-on art activities and live Blues music! During the party, you can
also get adorned in a Blues-themed henna tattoo from Bhava's Henna.

Feel free to come dressed in blue jeans and other blue attire. Also
consider getting a blue manicure or pedicure at Spa Mesu in celebration
of Blues Week!

Space is very limited for this event, so order your tix today at no extra cost!

WHAT: Blues Festival Week Kick-Off Party

WHERE: Pyramid Atlantic,8230 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring

WHEN: Friday, June 8, 6pm-9pm

RSVP/INFO: lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com

TIX: Only $10 in advance through www.paypal.com. Make payment to silverspringtowncenter.com; $15 at the door. Space is very limited for this event, so order today through our Paypal page by clicking here:

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The 2nd Annual Taste the World in Fenton Village was held Sunday, May 6, 2012. Sponsored by the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board, with assistance from the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., the Taste the World event brought scores of Silver Spring residents and visitors to the many restaurants of the Fenton Village area of Silver Spring.
Two dozen restaurants featuring cuisine from around the globe were showcased. Unlike other tasting events assembled on sidewalks or public lots, Taste the World welcomes participants into restaurants to sample not just their specialties but their special atmosphere. Restaurants offer appetizers or small tasting plates at a minimal cost of $2 to $5 apiece.
The Taste the World in Fenton Village stage, produced by SSTCi Executive Director Lisa Martin, featured a wide array of music from around the globe, including Latin, jazz, reggae, Persian percussion, rock, blues as well as Eastern Standard Time headlining!
For more information about this program, visit the website at www.tastetheworldfentonvillage.org

Monday, April 30, 2012

Sample foods from 24 international restaurants – all within a few blocks! Come to Taste the World in Fenton Village, Sunday, May 6, from 1pm to 5pm. Call 240-832-3078 or go to www.tastetheworldfentonvillage.org.
Event attendees will pick up their special Taste the World “passports” at Parking Lot 3 on Fenton Street between Thayer and Silver Spring avenues beginning at 1pm. Restaurants will offer appetizers and small tasting plates at $2 to $5 a piece.
Hosted by the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board, with help from Silver Spring Town Center Inc., the Taste the World in Fenton Village stage will feature a wide array of music from around the globe, including jazz, rock, and blues as well as Eastern Standard Time headlining with a festive Caribbean beat!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

FSM has been out measuring and re-measuring the plaza, getting ready for the sold out Opening Day market on April 28th! To kick off in style, they will have more than 60 vendors selling everything from unique artwork to bonsai trees to handmade jewelry and everything in between.

They are looking forward to starting a new tradition this year: ringing in the start of the market. Stop by right at 10:00am to help ring the new market bell! Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett will be there to ring in the new market season and make the first purchase of the year. Please join us in this celebration of local entrepreneurship!

Then, stay at the market to see local talent perform: Israel Dempsey will play her guitar from 10:00am – noon and FSM favorites Snakehead Run go on at 2:00pm. And our friends at Pyramid Atlantic will be teaching us how to do screen printing from noon – 2:00 pm.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

"The Twilight Tuesdays concert series is a great idea---and great for area business! I have seen an increase of inside sales from last year, including a 10% increase on the first night of the Twilight Tuesdays performance series. Hopefully with the nicer weather, we will see an even stronger turn-out." - Eric Rose, General Manager

About ZPizza: zpizza was founded in the art colony of Laguna Beach, California, where creativity and craftsmanship have flourished for almost a century. So it comes as no surprise that our critically acclaimed pizza is a true Laguna original. A passion for great food is why we start with dough made from 100% organic wheat flour prepared fresh every day, hand-thrown and fire-baked until uniquely crisp. Our zest for quality continues when the toppings go on. We combine select ingredients using award-winning skim mozzarella from Wisconsin, certified organic tomato sauce, MSG-free pepperoni, additive-free sausage, and fresh produce. Our gourmet salads and sandwiches are just as delicious. We hope you enjoy our authentic and unique recipes as much as we enjoy making them for you.

ZPizza is located in Downtown Silver Spring on Fenton just across from Veterans Plaza. For more info: www.zpizza.com.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Shock Holiday is an ultra modern progressive rock band out of suburban Maryland. Originality is the only musical formula, staying true to influences, with a fresh hard rock sound like no other. The end result is a modern rock story that can take you to the darkest corner of your imagination and paint a beautiful melodic picture on the way.

Shock Holiday's debut album is mixed with great radio hits, dark ballads and in-your-face dirty rock. Founding members Chris (vocals) and Steve (guitars) have worked hard for many years to craft and perfect this project in hopes of sharing it with new fans. The current lineup was completed in early 2011, with the addition of Zo on bass and Alli on drums. Members came from previous bands such as Project 13, Krazy 8s, and Luvrayzr, bringing many different musical backgrounds and influences.

Check out Shock Holiday's groundbreaking self-titled debut album as well as the epic music video for "A Stranger Among Us." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bEY7r5CZRk

An astoundingly gifted 13-year-old prodigy, Isaiah "Izzy" Lemons is a self-taught electric guitarist who plays Blues, Rock and R&B. Inspired by Slash, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, KISS, Michael Jackson, Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Orianthi, BB King and Ozzy Osbourne, Izzy has been described as "an old soul who plays like an aged guitarist."

Although Izzy has only just recently started performing, he has already wowed a variety of crowds throughout the area. On April 18, 2010 he first debuted playing "I Love Rock n' Roll" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" at the New Deal Café in Greenbelt, MD. In the past year, he has performed on The National Mall at the World Child Festival where he won 2nd place! He performed at the International Festival and the Afro-Caribbean Festival in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Isaiah gave a standing ovation performance at the Baltimore Apollo where the audience voted him to the finale and on September 24, 2011, he walked away with the title of "King of Guitar" and the 2011 Baltimore Apollo winner! On October 28, 2011, Isaiah had the honor of performing live, the "Redemption Song," with Junior Marvin & some of the Original Wailers at A Taste of New Orleans in DC during a benefit concert fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research & Homeless Veterans. Isaiah performed at the Rock 'n' Roll USA Marathon on March 16th & 17th in Washington, DC for a crowd of over 20,000! On May 5th, Isaiah will be the show opener for Chuck Brown, "Godfather of Go-Go" at the Harlem Renaissance Festival in Landover, Md. Later this year, the unveiling of "Izzy Wear by Front Page Gear," will be revealed, which will include a variety of shirts, hoodies and T-shirts.

Council President Berliner and Members of the Montgomery County Council, Good Evening.

My name is Lisa Martin. I am the Executive Director of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., a community based non-profit organization in Silver Spring, which provides innovative arts, entertainment and educational programming for the community in the Silver Spring Civic Building and on Veterans Plaza.

On behalf of the Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this evening.

The mission of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. is to provide a vibrant, inclusive and engaging community gathering place that enriches the lives of residents of the Greater Silver Spring area. Embracing the racial and cultural diversity of the region, the organization seeks to educate, entertain, inspire and involve people while encouraging and supporting the building of a creative, compassionate and caring community.

The Silver Spring Town Center Inc. (SSTCi) is the result of a long process of community involvement and engagement to support the development of downtown Silver Spring. Established in 2004, SSTCi was created to infuse community spirit and involvement in the new Silver Spring Civic Building and on Veterans Plaza.

And we are pleased to report that this engagement has been very successful and very well received by our neighbors, our visitors, our partners in the County Government, and our friends throughout the business community.

SSTCi is proud to be part of the rich tapestry of cultural diversity in Silver Spring, and we have had the honor to present scores of artistic performances of music, dance, spoken word and other creative forms of expression to the County’s residents and visitors throughout the year.

I know that some of you have enjoyed many of our programs and activities—including our popular Silver Spring Blues Festival, our Tribute to America’s Veterans Concert, our Plaza Performances on the Veterans Plaza, our Evening with the Stars, as well as our monthly Arts Salon and the Jefferson Café, a collaboration with the Paul Peck Institute at Montgomery College.

In his proposed FY13 Recommended Budget, County Executive Leggett has included modest grant funds for SSTCi and its community-based programming. With these funds, we could leverage private sector resources, and continue to support programs for youth and people of all ages, as well as engage the diverse communities in our area and to showcase the array of artistic talent of Montgomery County residents.

We hope the County Council will agree that SSTCi deserves the support the County Executive has recommended for the FY13 Budget, and, in doing so, support our good works in this vibrant, exciting and important part of Montgomery County.

Our website is www.silverspringtowncenter.com

Thank you very much, and we hope to see you in our “community living room” in Downtown Silver Spring!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Chakavak Persian Classical Music Ensemble was formed in 1998 and has been showcased in various concerts and festivals throughout the region. It is part of the Center for for Persian Classical Music, which is managed and run by Nader Majd.

Born in Iran in 1944, Nader is an Iranian musician and scholar. He has been studying and performing music since his childhood. He learned music, both theory and practice, from his father and uncles who were dedicated musicians. Nader specializes in playing and teaching the Tar, Setar, Santur, Violin, and Vocal. He has participated in many concerts and TV shows in Iran and abroad, produced a number of audio and video tapes, and taught music in the USA for the past ten years.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

My wife Sara had actually won tickets to the event at a charity fundraiser a few weeks earlier. She was excited when she won 'cuz she & I always love to watch the Oscar telecast together and, with our busy schedules, we rarely get to have "date nights." In our 'younger days', we used to hurry each year as the telecast approached in order to see as many of the Best Picture nominees as we could before the awards show aired. I think there were two or three years when we managed to see all of the Best Picture nominees (and that was when there were only five!). But that must have been before the kids came along, LOL!

We checked the tix for the location of the event and which organizations were sponsoring it, and saw that it was Silver Spring Town Center (which was good karma 'cuz we used to live a block away from there back when we first got married and we hadn't been back to downtown Silver Spring much over the years) and the National Center for Children and Families. We've long admired NCCF's work and value their causes, e.g., helping the homeless (I volunteer with SOME downtown in cooking breakfast for the homeless) and with foster care and adoption services.

As Oscar night approached, we saw the website's suggestion to consider dressing as a movie character. Well, as it happens, last fall I had gone shopping for a Hawaiian shirt and the salesman told me that the shirt I was eyeing was the same print as the one that George Clooney wore in a movie called The Descendants that was opening the next day. So I bought it (and Sara & I later went to see the film, which we absolutely loved). Anyway, after seeing the website's suggestion to consider dressing as a movie character, it was a no-brainer that I should wear my "George Clooney" shirt.

Finally, Oscar night arrived. As we arrived in our old Silver Spring neighborhood, we were impressed with all the changes and busy nightlife downtown. We didn't know anyone else at the party, but everyone was friendly, and we had a great time. We were thrilled when our raffle ticket proved to be the winner of the grand prize. We have great memories of our newlywed days living in downtown Silver Spring, and now, many years later, we're really looking forward to returning and enjoying a romantic weekend there.

I admit I'm no George Clooney, but maybe my wife won't mind so long as I wear his Hawaiian shirt, LOL.

"Groove Jet" is a 5 piece "Funky Jazz Fusion" band. The band has been playing private parties and small clubs in the greater Washington area for the better part of the last 10 years. All band members are alum of numerous musical groups and genres that have been performing in the area for the last 40 years. The band leader and founder is keyboardist Garrett Green. The rest of the members in order of joining are Mark Frawley on Trumpet, Mattias Rucht on Drums and Silver Spring residents Don Berkemeyer on Bass, and Willard Morris on Violin. They cover a wide variety tunes from the Monk to Motown. .

About Us

The Silver Spring Town Center Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that has been established to provide community-based programming for the new Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza located at the corner of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring.
The SSTCI is the result of a long process of community involvement and engagement to support the development of downtown Silver Spring. It was created to infuse community spirit and involvement in the new Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza.
Our website is www.silverspringtowncenter.com